illegal character 'X' at offset 37 - php

Question

I am using xml with cURL to contact Canada post and
get shipping labels.
This is the code I use.
The platform is ExpressionEngine
<?php
/**
* Sample code for the CreateShipment Canada Post service.
*
* The CreateShipment service is used to create a new shipping item, to
* request the generation of a softcopy image of shipping labels, and to provide
* links to these shipping labels and other information associated with the
* shipping item..
*
* This sample is configured to access the Developer Program sandbox environment.
* Use your development key username and password for the web service credentials.
*
**/
// Your username, password and customer number are imported from the following file
// CPCWS_Shipping_PHP_Samples\REST\shipping\user.ini
$userProperties = parse_ini_file(realpath(dirname($_SERVER['SCRIPT_FILENAME'])) . '/../user.ini');
$username = $userProperties['username'];
$password = $userProperties['password'];
$mailedBy = $userProperties['customerNumber'];
$mobo = $userProperties['customerNumber'];
// REST URL
$service_url = 'https://ct.soa-gw.canadapost.ca/rs/' . $mailedBy . '/' . $mobo . '/shipment';
// Create CreateShipment request xml
$groupId = '4326432';
$requestedShippingPoint = 'H2B1A0';
$mailingDate = '2012-10-24';
$contractId = '0040662521';
$xmlRequest = <<<XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<shipment xmlns="http://www.canadapost.ca/ws/shipment">
<group-id>{$groupId}</group-id>
<requested-shipping-point>{$requestedShippingPoint}</requested-shipping-point>
<expected-mailing-date>{$mailingDate}</expected-mailing-date>
<delivery-spec>
<service-code>DOM.EP</service-code>
<sender>
<name>Bulma</name>
<company>Capsule Corp.</company>
<contact-phone>1 [phone]</contact-phone>
<address-details>
<address-line-1>502 MAIN ST N</address-line-1>
<city>MONTREAL</city>
<prov-state>QC</prov-state>
<country-code>CA</country-code>
<postal-zip-code>H2B1A0</postal-zip-code>
</address-details>
</sender>
<destination>
<name>Ryuko Saito</name>
<company>Kubere</company>
<address-details>
<address-line-1>23 jardin private</address-line-1>
<city>Ottawa</city>
<prov-state>ON</prov-state>
<country-code>CA</country-code>
<postal-zip-code>K1K4T3</postal-zip-code>
</address-details>
</destination>
<options>
<option>
<option-code>DC</option-code>
</option>
</options>
<parcel-characteristics>
<weight>15</weight>
<dimensions>
<length>6</length>
<width>12</width>
<height>9</height>
</dimensions>
<unpackaged>true</unpackaged>
<mailing-tube>false</mailing-tube>
</parcel-characteristics>
<notification>
<email>ryuko.saito#kubere.com</email>
<on-shipment>true</on-shipment>
<on-exception>false</on-exception>
<on-delivery>true</on-delivery>
</notification>
<print-preferences>
<output-format>8.5x11</output-format>
</print-preferences>
<preferences>
<show-packing-instructions>true</show-packing-instructions>
<show-postage-rate>false</show-postage-rate>
<show-insured-value>true</show-insured-value>
</preferences>
<settlement-info>
<contract-id>{$contractId}</contract-id>
<intended-method-of-payment>Account</intended-method-of-payment>
</settlement-info>
</delivery-spec>
</shipment>
XML;
$curl = curl_init($service_url); // Create REST Request
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, 2);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_CAINFO, realpath(dirname($argv[0])) . '/../../../third-party/cert/cacert.pem'); // Signer Certificate in PEM format
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $xmlRequest);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPAUTH, CURLAUTH_BASIC);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_USERPWD, $username . ':' . $password);
curl_setopt($curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Content-Type: application/vnd.cpc.shipment-v2+xml', 'Accept: application/vnd.cpc.shipment-v2+xml'));
$curl_response = curl_exec($curl); // Execute REST Request
if(curl_errno($curl)){
echo 'Curl error: ' . curl_error($curl) . "\n";
}
echo 'HTTP Response Status: ' . curl_getinfo($curl,CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE) . "\n";
curl_close($curl);
// Example of using SimpleXML to parse xml response
libxml_use_internal_errors(true);
$xml = simplexml_load_string('<root>' . preg_replace('/<\?xml.*\?>/','',$curl_response) . '</root>');
if (!$xml) {
echo 'Failed loading XML' . "\n";
echo $curl_response . "\n";
foreach(libxml_get_errors() as $error) {
echo "\t" . $error->message;
}
} else {
if ($xml->{'shipment-info'} ) {
$shipment = $xml->{'shipment-info'}->children('http://www.canadapost.ca/ws/shipment');
if ( $shipment->{'shipment-id'} ) {
echo 'Shipment Id: ' . $shipment->{'shipment-id'} . "\n";
foreach ( $shipment->{'links'}->{'link'} as $link ) {
echo $link->attributes()->{'rel'} . ': ' . $link->attributes()->{'href'} . "\n";
}
}
}
if ($xml->{'messages'} ) {
$messages = $xml->{'messages'}->children('http://www.canadapost.ca/ws/messages');
foreach ( $messages as $message ) {
echo 'Error Code: ' . $message->code . "\n";
echo 'Error Msg: ' . $message->description . "\n\n";
}
}
}
?>
I received error below
HTTP Response Status: 500 Error Code: Server Error Msg: illegal character 'X' at offset 37 of /rs/0000000000/0000000000/shipment
(I changed customer number to "0000000000")
Can someone explain what is the meaning of above message?
Thank you very much

Answer 1

The provider is probably (like all "enterprise" providers) not using a proper XML parser. Try putting a space before the closing characters of the PI, or failing that remove the PI entirely.

Answer 2

37 characters puts you right at the end of the XML Prolog
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
Either the host does not handle this or you have may have a DOS/UNIX End-of-Line issue.
First, try removing the XML Prolog and see if that helps.
If that doesn't help, then (depending on your editor) save the PHP source as a UNIX file to get the end of line markers right. If that doesn't work, try saving it as a DOS file.